Washington [USA], Oct 17 (ANI): United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will be travelling to Turkey at the request of US President Donald Trump.

"The President has asked me to travel to Turkey to meet with senior leaders. We will remain in close contact with Saudi and Turkish authorities as they complete this process and ultimately announce their findings," said a statement U.S. Department of State.

This comes after Pompeo met Saudi King Salman and Foreign Minister al-Jubeir in Riyadh to discuss the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Pompeo, in his meeting with Saudi authorities had stressed on the need of a thorough, transparent, and timely investigation in the case.

In a press statement, the Secretary of state said, "We had direct and candid conversations. I emphasized the importance of conducting a thorough, transparent, and timely investigation, and the Saudi leadership pledged to deliver precisely on that. My assessment from these meetings is that there is serious commitment to determine all the facts and ensure accountability, including accountability for Saudi Arabia's senior leaders or senior officials."

Earlier, United States President Donald Trump had threatened of "severe punishment" for the Gulf country if there has indeed been any Saudi hand in the scribe's disappearance. The UK's Foreign Minister, Jeremy Hunt, had also said that they would have to "think about the appropriate way to react" if Saudi Arabia is found guilty in Khashoggi's disappearance.

Turkish officials had previously claimed that their Saudi counterparts carried out Khashoggi's kidnapping and murder. They had alleged that a 15-men team flew from Riyadh to Istanbul on the day the senior journalist visited the consulate and carried out the alleged murder of the journalist. (ANI)